How Can an Animal Hospital Help the Environment?
What Does Your Pet’s Anesthesia Have to Do With the Ozone Layer?
Okay, you know we recycle, right? Paper, plastic. All Pet Care Animal Hospital reduces waste through “efficient operating procedures.” (In other words: “We don’t waste stuff.”)
But recently, Doc Springer came across a fascinating research article that made her feel proud of our anesthesia protocol.
Gas Anesthesia is a Hydrocarbon like banned CFC refrigerants
Maybe you remember that you cannot just throw away a refrigerator, partly because the refrigerant could leak into the environment. Or you remember you had to pay an extra fee to get the freon freshened in the car air conditioner because the auto shop must dispose properly of the chemicals. Refrigerants used to be composed of chemicals called CFCs. When the CFCs contaminated the air, they caused the ozone layer in the atmosphere to become thinner. That ozone layer helps keep harmful cosmic rays from frying the Earth. The United States banned CFCs in the 1970’s to help protect the environment.
What does your pet’s anesthesia have to do with the fridge? The anesthetic gases commonly used in veterinary medicine in the United States today are sevoflurane and isoflurane. These chemicals belong to the same hydrocarbon family as the CFCs format he refrigerator. They are a family called halogenated hydrocarbons. Basically, they exist as liquids at room temperature, but can be vaporized and used to effect.
The anesthetic gases commonly used in veterinary medicine in the United States today are sevoflurane and isoflurane.
Anesthetic gases must be used sparingly and collected for disposal, or else they will build up in healthcare workers’ body tissues, and eventually may lead to cancer.
They also damage the atmosphere more than anyone has been measuring. Recently, a researcher realized the connection to the CFCs and decided to investigate whether the amount and strength of the anesthetic gases mattered. Turns out it does matter.
Anesthetic Gases Damage Ozone as Much as 1 Million Cars
You can follow the link to the report. The basic summary is this: isoflurane and sevoflurane (and for humans, desmoflurane) used in the United States annually for anesthesia for human patients causes more damage to the ozone layer than 1 million cars burning gasoline!
Isoflurane and sevoflurane (and for humans, desmoflurane) used in the United States annually for anesthesia for human patients causes more damage to the ozone layer than 1 million cars burning gasoline!
The chemist went on to explain that the isoflurane gas damages the environment less than the sevo- or desmo- gases and all medical requirements being equal, the isoflorane would make a good choice to help decrease greenhouse gases and damage to the atmosphere.
All Pet Care Animal Hospital already uses isoflurane for your pet’s health and comfort. It is fast, gentle, and the pets wake up alert and ready to return home. Now, we know we are also causing the least damage to the environment with our anesthetic protocols!
